


and when our souls sing in harmony

by Vennat



Category: Merlin (TV)
Genre: 1k, Angst, Ficlet, Fluff, Friendship, Gen, Gen Work, Hurt/Comfort, Magic Revealed, Merlin's Magic Revealed (Merlin), Preslash if you squint, Protective Arthur, Short, in case youre worried things work out in the end
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-03-15
Updated: 2019-03-15
Packaged: 2019-11-18 07:48:19
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,322
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18116441
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Vennat/pseuds/Vennat
Summary: “If you know what’s good for you Arthur, you'll put the sword down and let Merlin go.” Gwaine spoke, dangerously low.“Let him go!” Arthur exploded. “Let him go?! This- this is a sorcerer! He’s evil, tainted by magic. He’s Merlin no longer!”





	and when our souls sing in harmony

**Author's Note:**

> heyyyyyyy so i have another merlin work that i should have updated but instead i wrote this sORRYYY
> 
> anyways uh. enjoy?

It starts with a bandit flying through the air. 

 

Maybe it started long before that, when magic sank heavy into the earth, draining from the lifeless bodies of innocent sorcerers, crumbling to ashes, strung up on poles. Maybe it started when the magic reared its head, left the earth and nestled itself into the chest of a young warlock, who was half of a whole. 

 

But it started with a bandit, sword falling downwards towards Arthur’s exposed side. 

 

It started with Merlin, leaping from behind a tree, hand outstretched, eyes gold, a wordless cry of fear on his tongue. 

 

It started with a bandit flying through the air, and Arthur turning to Merlin with fear in his eyes. 

 

But that wasn’t how it ended. 

 

Merlin’s hands sank to his sides slowly, unsure if Arthur would attack if he moved too fast. The king had his sword pointing at Merlin, and his eyes full of steel. Gwaine has his sword pointed at Arthur, and the rest of the Round Table held their swords in their hands but did not lift them. 

 

“If you know what’s good for you Arthur, you'll put the sword down and let Merlin go.” Gwaine spoke, dangerously low. 

 

“Let him go!” Arthur exploded. “ _ Let  _ him  _ go?! _ This- this is a sorcerer! He’s evil, tainted by magic. He’s Merlin no longer!”

 

Gwaine’s sword lifted closer to Arthur’s neck, and he growled wordlessly. 

 

“Please, Gwaine,” Merlin said quietly. “It’s alright.”

 

Gwaine looked as if he was going to argue, but Arthur spoke over him. 

 

“Quiet, sorcerer!” And for the first time, Merlin noticed that the tip of Arthur’s sword was shaking. “You… you have been corrupted by the evils of magic.” Arthur said, and no one but Merlin could hear the pain and fear behind the anger in his voice.

 

“Arthur-” Merlin began. 

 

“No!” Arthur burst out. “Hold your tongue, sorcerer. I will not let you spew your poison at me.”

 

Merlin lowered his head, and Arthur lowered his sword, taking a step back.

 

“We will hold trial for you, here. I know the rules of the land will permit you to die, if we take you back to Camelot. I do not want to—” Arthur paused, and cleared his throat. “We will hold trial tonight, at sundown. Set up camp and keep an eye on the sorcerer.” 

 

Arthur stalked off, and after a moment's hesitation, the knights followed his orders.

 

____________________________

  
  


By the time Arthur had come back to wherever he had stalked off to, the knights had taken care of the horses, built a fire, and set out all the bed rolls. When Arthur glanced over at Merlin and saw he was bound in no way, he almost made a comment, but Merlin sat quietly beneath the tree, and Leon was standing next to him with his hand on the hilt of his sword, alert. 

 

Arthur joins the knights settled around the fire on logs they had dragged to rest around it. He motions to Leon, and the man gently pulls Merlin to standing, before walking closely behind him over to the fire. The two settled in the last open spots, directly across from Arthur and Elyan.

 

They’re all silent for a long moment, before Merlin- surprisingly- is the one to speak.

 

“What do you want to know?”

 

“Why?” Arthur asks. Merlin smiles at him, and he has that same look in his eyes he always does, when he gets all wise on Arthur, and provides him with invaluable wisdom. Arthur’s chest aches at the thought. 

 

“I was born with it. If I had the choice…” He laughs, but the sound is harsh. “I wouldn’t have this power. I’d give it to someone more worthy in a heartbeat. But I don’t have any say in destiny.” 

 

Arthur raises an eyebrow.

 

“Destiny? What does that have to do with anything?”

 

“Quite a bit more than you’d think. They call me-” he clears his throat. “They call me Emrys.”

 

The name rings some kind of bell in the very back of his mind, but Elyan, Gwaine, and Percival all gasp in recognition.

 

“You?” Elyan says, shooting to his feet. “You’re the prophesied Emrys that the druids speak of?”

 

Merlin shrugs, and Elyan slumps back into his seat, leaving Arthur and Leon- and surprisingly not Lancelot- bewildered. 

 

“Emrys?” Arthur asks. “And what’s this about a prophecy?”

 

Merlin has the gall to look sheepish, and for a moment Arthur forgets that they’re conducting a trial over the magic his manservant performed, curiosity overcoming the residual feelings of anger and betrayal from earlier in the day. 

 

“I’m a warlock, and for me, magic is as inherent as breathing. I don’t need incantations to perform a lot of spells, I just think what I want, and my magic does it. I came to Camelot to get a better grasp on it, and be trained as a healer by Gaius.” Merlin then must have caught the expression of outrage on Arthur’s face, because for the first time the whole night the benign expression on his face dropped, and his eyes turned to steel, cold and blue. 

 

“No, Arthur. I am the one on trial here, and if you will let me explain, you will see that Gaius was only ever loyal to Camelot.”

 

“And you were not?” Arthur asks.

 

“No.” Merlin replies, and finally, Lancelot looks shocked. “Not to Camelot, but to you. Always to you.”

 

The knights are quiet for a moment, stunned the sincerity in his tone. Even as unused to magic as the lot of them are, they can feel the power behind the words thrumming through the air. They can feel the truth of it settle into their bones. 

 

“Everything I do.” Merlin continues. “Is for you, Arthur. Always for you. You are the prophesied Once and Future king, who will bring peace to all of Albion. You are my king, and I will follow you anywhere without hesitation. I exist, as both Emrys and Merlin, to serve you, and I will do so happily until the day I die.”

 

Arthur stares at Merlin, and somewhere deep in his chest, something resonates with what Merlin is saying, as if his very soul is singing  _ Emrys, Emrys, Emrys. _

 

He knows, somehow, that he can trust Merlin. He stands, and Gwaine’s hand darts to the pommel of his sword, but instead Arthur steps around the fire and holds a hand out to Merlin. He can see it in Merlin’s eyes, which burn a steady gold, that his soul sings  _ King, King, King.  _

 

Merlin grasps his hand, and when Arthur pulls him to his feet, he can smell the power in the air, like a distant thunderstorm. He can feel it flowing between them, and his hair lifts as it swirls around them. He feels whole, and he can almost see the sprawling future of peace and prosperity stretching before the two of them, united. 

 

“ _ Emrys _ .” he breathes. Merlin smiles at him, falling into an exaggerated, sweeping bow. 

 

“My King.”

 

Arthur grabs the top of his head, and rubs his knuckles into it, hard. Merlin yelps, squirming from his grasp, and Arthur lets him.

 

Merlin rubs the top of his head sulkily, pouting at him, and Arthur laughs. 

 

“Next time, idiot,” He says, swiping at the back of Merlin’s head. “ _ Tell me _ you have some awesome, all powerful magic ability. Do you know how much easier so many of our quests would have been? How many nobles I could have secretly gotten back at?”

 

Merlin gawps at him. 

 

“We are  _ not  _ using my incredible magic powers for stupid  _ pranks _ , you giant prat!”

 

“What, like you never used it for chores?”

 

“I wouldn’t need to if you didn’t give me so  _ blood many.”  _ Merlin grumbles.

 

“I am your  _ king,  _ you should take any prerogative from me with the highest honor, you dolt!”

 

“Of course, Your Idiotship.”

 

Arthur tackles Merlin, and Merlin goes down with a squawk. 

**Author's Note:**

> leave a comment or kudos please i am be g g in g youuuuuu im desperate for any form of affection
> 
> tumblr: @v-ennat


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